India and China Troops clashed near the Line of Actual Control in Tawang

Siddhant Sandhu
December 13, 2022
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On December 9, 300 heavily armed Chinese Army (PLA) soldiers were dispatched to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang Sector, but they did not expect the Indian side to be as well prepared.

Several Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in a major clash in Arunachal Pradesh’s critical Tawang sector last week, in a major escalation amid the ongoing 30-month military conflict in eastern Ladakh, which has seen China strengthen its military positions all along the border. The extended physical clash took place at Yangtse in the morning of December 9 after around 300-400 soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army PLA) intruded across the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which was “contested” by Indian soldiers stationed there “firmly and resolutely.”

Also Read: What Did Our Defence Minister Say About The Recent India-China Conflict?

The clash resulted in fractured limbs and other injuries for troops on both sides. According to a source, at least six injured Indian soldiers were evacuated to the military hospital in Guwahati.

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In a brief statement, the Army said, “Both sides immediately disengaged from the area.” As a result of the incident, our commander in the area convened a flag meeting with his (PLA) counterpart to discuss the situation in accordance with structured mechanisms to restore peace and tranquillity.”

“There are areas of differing perceptions along the LAC in the Tawang sector of Arunachal where both sides patrol the area up to their claim lines.” This has been the trend since 2006,” it added.

India has deployed a large number of troops in Tawang, which China claims to be part of south Tibet, to thwart any misadventure by the PLA. Several times in the past, the PLA has intruded across the LAC in the sector to damage unoccupied bunkers and other infrastructure on the Indian side.

The Army had foiled the PLA’s bid to gain access to Yangtse Peak in 2021. Yangtse, in particular, has seen numerous clashes between opposing armies. In October 2021, for example, the PLA attempted to gain access to a 17,000-foot peak in Yangtse but were foiled by alert Indian soldiers stationed nearby.

While there have been several clashes and minor skirmishes along the entire 3,488-km LAC stretching from eastern Ladakh to Arunachal in the last two years, last week’s clash is the first major one since the bloody Galwan Valley incident on June 15, 2020 in eastern Ladakh.

The latest clash at Yangtse comes when India and China are yet to finalize the date for the 17th round of corps commander-level talks despite the last one being held in July.

Last month, Army Chief General Manoj Pande described the situation on the Chinese border as “stable but unpredictable,” adding that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has not reduced its forces on the LAC, nor has it slowed infrastructure development for faster troop mobility and connectivity. General Pande had previously warned against China’s treachery. “We’ve all heard what the Chinese say, but what they actually do is quite different. It’s also a part of deception, or their nature or character,” he explained. The Army chief stated that efforts were being made to resolve the two remaining “friction points” through talks.

China, on the other hand, has shown no willingness to disengage troops at the two major clashes at the strategically located Depsang Plains and the Charding Ninglung Nallah (CNN) track junction at Demchok, as previously reported by TOI. ‘Overall de-escalation, if it occurs, will involve both countries withdrawing their over 50,000 troops that have been forward deployed with heavy weapon systems along the eastern Ladakh border for the last 30 months.

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